Container.



A. 1. TRASSO.

CONTAINER.

APPucATmN FILED JuLYze, 1915.

1,224,691.; Patented May 1, 1917.

Wl TNSSES [I1/VENTO By 91.36. W

PATENT @FFlE ANTHONY J. TRASSO, OF WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

, CONTAINER.

Application led July 26, 1915.

7o @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY J. TRAsso, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of West Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of containers which are more particularly designed and adapted for employment as protective inclosures for cigars, cheroots, and the like, to prevent damage thereto when carried in the pocket, and the object of the invention is to provide a device of this general character of a simple and comparatively inexpensive nature, and of appropriate strength's and stiffness, presenting certain features of novelty and vimprovement whereby the device is rendered capable of quick and convenient application to the cigar, and is adapted, when applied thereto, to afford effective protection against crushing or breakage of the wrapper in case the cigar be carried in the pocket, withoutin any way hindering free inspection of the cigar by the purchaser.I

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction, and combinations and arrangements of the several parts of the improved protective container, whereby certain important advantages are attained, and the container is rendered simpler, less expensive, and otherwise better adapted and more convenient and effective for use, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In order that my improvements may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the improved protective container comprised in my present invention' Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken transversely through the container, showing the cigar contained therein, and illustrating certain features of construction which will be hereinafter set forth;

Fig. 3 is an inner face view showing one of the encircling bands or retainers, detached;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating somewhat roughly the formation of the Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

serial No. 41,867.

blank from which the body portion of the container is produced, and

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating a slightly modified formation of the improved protective container particularly applicable to cheroots and the like.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the improved protective container as therein illustrated comprises a main or body portion, which may with convenience be produced from an elongated strip or blank 1 0f some sufficiently' strong and stiff material, such as paper board or the like, adapted when extended around the sides of the cigar 2, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, to afford efficient protection against crushing or breakage of the wrapper, but preferably of a somewhat yielding and pliant character so as to avoid the likelihood of damage to the wrapper due to pressure of the container thereupon, such as might be likely to arise were the container of too rigid and unyielding a character.

The blank 1 from which the container is produced should ordinarily be of such a width as will conform to the thickness of the cigar and of such length that when passed lengthwise' around the cigar, its ends will overlap one another, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and in the production of said blank, the same will be transversely scored or creased at suitable points, as indicated at 3, 3a in the drawings, in such a manner as to define the positions at which transverse bends are to be produced therein, as indicated at 4c and 5 in the drawings, to conform substantially to the opposite ends of the cigar.

The blank will also be ordinarily formed with spaced panels or surfaces 10, 10, which may be of a more or less decorative character, andmay be printed or embossed with any desired lettering or trade marks, and in the production of these panels 10, 10, blank spaces 9, 9, willl ordinarily be provided intervening between said panels and so positioned as to loeyoppositeV to each other adjacent to the oppositeends of the vcontainer when the `same is applied to the cigar as indicated in Fig. 1, so as to define the positions of retaining bands 12 which are passed around the container in such a manner as to embrace the cigar at those sides thereof which are exposed at the open faces of the container in order to prevent accidental removal of the cigar from the container and to hold the latter securely in position, as will be hereinafter explained.

In the creasing or scoring of the blank 1 from which the ilnproved container is produced, the scores or creases 3, 3a are so located as to produce in said blank an elongated central portion 6 between said creases of such a length as to be adapted to extend continuously along one side of the cigar from end to end thereof, as indicated in Fig. l, while terminal portions 7 and 8 are produced at the ends of the blank adapted to be lapped one outside of the other and to extend along the opposite side of the cigar when the container is to be applied thereto.

The portion 8 is herein shown as of greater length than the portion 7, and is adapted to overlap the latter adjacent to the end of the cigar, and in the production of the panels 10, 10 attention may with advantage be paid to the location of the blank spaces 9, 9, at that end of the container in such a manner that the retaining band 12 when passed around that end` of the container and nclosed cigar, will embrace the free extremity of the outermost overlapping terminal portion 8 of the blank.` To assure this result, the spaces, 9, 9 should be located in the blank so that one of them will fall approximately at the free end of the terminal member 8 so that the extremity thereof shall not project beyond the retaining band to such an extent as would tend to cause it to catch upon the box `or pocket and thereby tear loose the retaining band.

The retaining bands 12, 12 as herein shown are in the form of elongated paper strips or the like, which may be printed and embossed or otherwise ornamented as is usual in the case of cigar bands. If desired the extremities vof these thin flexible encircling bands 12 may be gummed at opposite ends of their inner surfaces so that they may be the'more readily secured to the blank portions 5 of the container, although it is not essential that the encircling retainers be primarily gummed. In applying them to the container after inclosure of the cigar therein, one end of the band is rst gummed uponone of the blank spaces 9 ofthe terminal member 7 as indicated at 11 in the drawings, after which the retainer is drawn snugly around the container so as to extend across the open sides thereof for holding the cigar in place, the opposite end of the retaining band being gummed upon the outer surface of the first-named end thereof as clearly shown at la in the drawings. By this arrangement, the retainers 12 are securely held to the body of the container so that they may not be liable to slip endwise off the samein such a manner as to free the inclosed cigar, and at the same time the 'cigar is effectively held within the oppositely arranged elongated sides or walls of the container in such a manner as to be protected against breakage or crushing, while being at the same time exposed to view so that it may be freely inspected by the purchaser.

If desired, the shorter terminal portion 7 may be loosely held inside the overlapping end 8 of the blank, so as to be Withdrawable in order to free the cigar when desired, but it may be preferable in some cases to glue the ends of the blank together at their overlapping parts so as to prevent surreptitious withdrawal or substitution of cigars. Where this is done, the ends of the adjacent retaining band 12 may be sealed down partly upon the extremity of the terminal portion 8 and partly upon the underlying portionV 7 of the blank so as to afford a seal operable to prevent such substitution of cigars. This I have illustrated at 16 in Fig. 5. In this latter figure I have also illustrated a slightly modified formation of the blank, which is shown with but two transverse bends or creases so that its op; posite ends I and 4a are both pointed instead of one of them being blunt or flattened as in the structure shown in Fig. 1. This form of container may be used with advantage upon cheroots or the like, where the projecting pointed extremities 4 and La of the container, extending beyond the unfinished ends of the cheroot, are adapted to prevent the same from being worn or chafed by contact with the pocket.

From the above description of my improvements, it will be evident that the protective container constructed according to my invention is of an extremely simple and comparatively inexpensive nature, and is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the facility with which it may be applied to the cigar and the secure and eiective protection afforded by it against crushing or breakage of the cigar without interference with free inspection of the cigar by the purchaser, and it will also be obvious from the above description that the device is susceptible of considerable modication without material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention as defined m the appended claims, and for this reason I do not desire to be understood ras limiting myself to the precise formation and arrangementof the several parts of the device as herein set forth in carrying out my invention in practice.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s 1. A protective container for cigars havin g an elongated body portion formed from stiff protective material transversely bent at the end of the cigar and comprising spaced parallel members extended along opposite sides of the cigar to protect the same and separated from each other at their edges to facilitate inspection of the cigar, and a retaining band extended around the container and across the opposite exposed faces of the cigar to hold said parallel members in relation and to retain the cigar Within the container.

2. A protective container for cigars having a body portion consisting of an elongated strip of stii' protective material having transverse bends positioned at the ends of the cigar and affording a central portion extended lengthwise along one side of the cigar and terminal portions extended lengthwise along the opposite side of the cigar, said terminal portions being lapped one outside of the other` and being separated from said oppositely arranged central portion to permit free inspection of the oppo site intervening portions of the cigar, and a retaining band extended around the container and across the opposite exposed faces of the cigar to hold said oppositely arranged portions of the container in relation, and to retain the cigar Within the container.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

ANTHONY J. TRASSO.

Witnesses:

MARY E. DOYLE, J. D. CAPLINGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

